With airports being the nightmare that they are, more and more people have made the decision to avoid them, at least for a little while. For travel addicts and adventure junkies this has been extremely difficult and we have had to find alternative options to satisfy our wanderlust. One of those decisions has to become a tourist in our own hometowns.
Being like a tourist in your hometown is much easier than you think and it’s the perfect way to fill in the gap between international vacations. Exploring your hometown is the perfect way for new solo travellers to get their “feet wet” and become comfortable doing touristy things on their own.
When choosing touristy activities in your hometown, think outside the box. Ask yourself “what would I being doing if I was visiting another city?” There is no reason why you can’t do those same activities as a tourist in your hometown. So Let’s get started.
Just One Tip: To find activities and adventures in your hometown, I recommend searching Get Your Guide or Viator
10 WAYS TO BE A TOURIST IN YOUR HOMETOWN
- Benefits of Being a Tourist in Your Hometown
- Dine Where the Tourists Dine
- Shop Where the Tourists Shop
- Visit the Touristy Spots
- Recreation
- Walking Tour
- Take an Adventure Tour
- Join a Class Geared to Tourists
- Take Photos Like a Tourist
- Be a Hometown Cheerleader
- Stay Overnight
- Tourist in Your Hometown?
Benefits of Being a Tourist in Your Hometown
Admittedly, being a tourist in your hometown doesn’t quite compare to being a tourist in an international destination, but it does have some benefits, such as:
- learning the history of where we live
- meet new people close to home
- save money
- discover new shops, restaurants, and activities
- if you are a new solo traveller, being a tourist in your hometown is the perfect way to ease into solo travel
- a solo traveller will feel much safer exploring their hometown
- avoid the stress of the airports!
At this point in time, until the airports get their shit together, exploring my hometown and surrounding areas has become my option of choice. By doing this my wanderlust has been “somewhat” satisfied and I have met some incredible people while exploring.
TEN WAYS TO BE A TOURIST IN YOUR HOMETOWN
Dine Where the Tourists Dine
Dining out is the most difficult part of solo travel but if you want to be a tourist, you have to do what the tourists do. Since you will be dining at a local restaurant, choose a place where you’ve never been, and if you’re adventurous, choose a spot that serves cuisine that you’ve never tried before. Whatever you do, don’t go to a restaurant that you typically dine at. It has to be somewhere new.
Read Next: 2 Day Solo Itinerary in St. Jacobs, Ontario
Shop Where the Tourists Shop
Let’s face it, when most of us are on vacation we aren’t spending our time shopping in a mall. So shopping at the mall is completely out if you’re being a tourist for the day in your hometown. Wonder through the quaint shops that are popular among tourists when visiting your city. Yes….even the souvenir shops, you’ll be surprised what you might find.
Visit Your Hometown’s Touristy Spots
If you’re anything like me, I’m going to guess that you’ve never actually been to the touristy spots in your hometown. It is only natural for us to take these places for granted. When exploring your hometown, it is the perfect opportunity to check them out to see for yourself. Who knows, you might even learn a bit of history of your hometown.
Recreation
Many of us love to lounge on the beach or hike a trail when we’re travelling. There is no reason why we can’t do that at home. If your hometown is close to a beach, pack a picnic, grab a book and spend the day basking in the sun. For the more active traveller, this is the perfect opportunity to check out a new trail.
Take a Walking Tour of Your Hometown
Taking a walking tour is the ultimate way of getting to know the touristy spots and history of your home town. Many places offer guided walking tours. If your hometown doesn’t then contact your city’s tourism board to get a self-guided walking tour map of your hometown.
Take an Adventure Tour
Most of us are much more adventurous and braver when we are travelling abroad, so why not be the same when being a tourist in our hometown. Try ziplining, take a hot air balloon ride, or go horseback riding. These are just a few recommendations of adventures to do, so do a bit of research and choose a new adventure that you wouldn’t normally do.
Read Next: Take a hot air balloon ride in your hometown.
Join a Class Geared to Tourists
This may take a little research, but every hometown will offer different 2 – 3 hour classes. If you have always wanted to try your hand at painting, take a painting class. If you want to learn how to cook something new, then take a cooking class. Your options are endless.
Take Photos Like a Tourist
Spotting a tourist is quite easy, they would be that person taking pictures of everything. When wondering the streets of your hometown, or when visiting the tourist spots, or whatever it is that you choose to do, make sure you take lots of pictures. Let’s face it, you likely won’t be back to these spots again. If you want to go one step further, hire a photographer to follow you for a few hours to capture you being a tourist in your hometown.
Become Your Hometown’s Biggest Cheerleader
For a fun afternoon or evening, join the crowd and cheer on one of the local sports teams of your hometown. This never fails to get the adrenaline flowing and it’s a ton of fun. If this is something that you don’t normally do, I promise you’ll definitely feel like you’re on vacation.
Stay Overnight in Your Hometown
Booking a room at a local hotel or Airbnb for the night is the ultimate way to be a tourist in your hometown. Pour yourself a glass of wine, put your feet up and relax while looking back through all of your pictures. It’s the perfect ending to a perfect day of being a tourist in your hometown.
Just One Tip: Check out Booking.com to find a fun place to spend the night in your hometown
Are You Ready to be a Tourist in Your Hometown?
Have I convinced you that being a tourist in your hometown can be a fun way to spend the day, or even a weekend? Whether you choose to explore only the town that you live in or take a road trip to somewhere close by, I can guarantee that there will be new things to discover and adventures to experience around every corner.
HAVE FUN EXPLORING YOUR HOMETOWN 🙂
Travel Solo Like a Pro!
AIRFARE:
♥ CheapOair and WayAway offer flights at a resonable rate. Let CheapOair or WayAway find the cheapest and best flight for your destination
HOTELS & ACCOMMODATION:
♥ I use Booking.com to book all of my accommodations, both domestically and internationally. When booking in the United States, I use Trivago US
ACTIVITIES:
♥ Get Your Guide and Viator are the absolute best sites to plan and book any adventures, activities, and all things fun
BIKE AND MOTORCYCLE RENTALS:
♥ BikesBooking.com will find the best prices for bicycles, motocyles, and scooter rentals any place in the world.
CAR RENTAL:
♥ Economy Bookings will provide rental prices worldwide, which making it a one stop shop for the most reasonable car rentals
AIRPORT TRANSFER AND PRIVATE TOURS:
♥ Kiwitaxi is who you want to contact for transportation from the airport or train station. Why not arrange for a PRIVATE CITY TOUR with Kiwitaxi at the same time.
CRUISES:
♥ Cruise Critic not only provides reviews and answers questions, it also offers great cruise deals. If your a cruise lover (like me), I highly recommend that you check it out!
TRAVEL INSURANCE:
♥ Travel insurance these times of natural disasters, travel interruption and baggage loss is no longer a place where you can cut costs. essentials. It has become an essential part of travel. Visitors Coverage will take care of all of your insurance needs.
SAVE TO BE A TOURIST IN YOUR HOMETOWN
So true: “Most of us are much more adventurous and braver when we are travelling abroad”. Great ideas! 🙂
Agreed. When we’re at home, we tend to take everything for granted. I admit that I loved exploring at home during COVID. I saw so many things that I hadn’t seen before.
There’s usually so much to do and see in your own backyard. Love this list!
There really is. It’s not always necessary to travel abroad
I love being a tourist in my hometown. You realize all of the great little surprises that are sitting right around the corner. It is so fun to explore new places.
I agree. I’m fairly new to where I live, so I’ve done a ton of exploring over the past couple of years and found some pretty neat stuff.
I love the feeling of being a tourist in my hometown, and why not, there is much to see, do and explore. I particularly love to eat my way through my hometown, always game for supporting local restaurants and cultural events. I think the pandemic has forced us to all be tourists in our hometown, and that has been really fun to discover things you might not have already done.
Exactly! Not originally being from where I live, I’ve been discovering a lot of new things over the past couple of years. It’s been great.
My daughter and I decided to be a tourist in our hometown one day and we had so much fun. We saw our city through a completely different lense!
I agree. When you explore like a tourists, you tend to find things that you had no idea even existed. It’s fun!
Great ideas! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve passed a Chicago museum and have never step food inside! Just give me a minute, I’m going to turn this around…and then visit Justin 🙂
Haha…..yes!!! Come be a tourist in Canada! I would love that!
I definitely need to do this more. There are so many cool things to do in our city that we need to explore!
I admit that I don’t live in a great city for tourists but I have found some things
We certainly spent more time being a tourist in our hometown in the past few years. It has been great to discover new gems. And share them with friends and family on their visits. We visit so many churches when we travel. So it was fun to finally see the ones at home.
I’ve never thought of doing a church tour at home. Great idea! Thanks!
These were actually great tips! I recently stayed in an airbnb in my hometown for a birthday, and it was so much fun! Saw my city from a completely different angle.
That’s fantastic! It can be as fun as travelling IF we act like a tourist
Wow! What a fantastic post. You made a great point that you will likely feel safer traveling in your hometown. I’ve never thought of that before! Plus, flying right now is a nightmare haha. I love the cozy photo of the glass of wine with a marshmallow too 🙂
I’m with you! I LOVE travelling but I don’t have the patience for the nonsense at the airports right now. The picture was taken at a vineyard. I had the S’Merlot package lol (merlot and s’mores). It was a fantastic combinations.
It’s definitely a great way to ease into solo travel! I always say that to everyone who’s anxious about embarking on a solo adventure. But truth be told I haven’t even been to all the tourist places in my hometown. 🙊Need to fix this.
I’m also still working on checking out my hometown sights
I love this post! With prices going up so much lately I think everyone needs to learn how to enjoy their area closer to home more! I love having picnics in parks when traveling but never think to do it at home!
I did a ton of touring at home during covid and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love picnics and take every opportunity to do one
This mentality really gets me from one trip to another – I am going to put these tips into practice!
It does me as well!
Playing tourist at home is one of my favourite things!
I’m enjoying it too! Seeing a ton I didn’t even know about
I hear so often that people haven’t been to the tourist places near their home…until company comes into town! I think we get so busy with our home life that we forget to enjoy all the great things around. These are such great ideas and I look forward to playing tourist here at home!
I completely agree. We think we have to hop a plane to have a good time but it’s possible to have the same fun at home. We tend to take home for granted
I live in a city very popular with tourists, but you are right, I haven’t been to many of the touristy spots. I love the idea of using this idea to explore solo travel. Thanks for the inspiration!
At home is the best place to start if you want to travel alone. At least you are somewhere you feel comfortable.
I loved being more of a tourist in my own town during COVID. Made a lot of time to go to places that I hadn’t really been in a while!
Same with me and I’ve learned to enjoy exploring at home.